Happily Ever After

Chapter 20

(Y/N) POV

I sat on my chair, finishing the last couple of paperworks that were littered across my desk. Once I was done, I neatly arranged them in an orderly stack and organised the rest of my things.

As I walked towards the door, I sensed a presence behind me. I turned around but saw nothing. 'Strange... Oh silly me, imagining such things. How could anyone be in here with me? That's impossible!'

"Oh, I see that you have finally finished your tasks, Miss (Y/N). Please do come down for dinner. Sir and Lady (Y/L/N) are waiting for you."

"Thank you, Anna. I shall be there in a few minutes."

~•~

Dinner was delicious as always. After scarfing down the scrumptious meal, I excused myself before heading to my room. As I walked along the corridors, I could not shake off the strange feeling I had earlier in my study. I had a hunch that someone was indeed following me. Then, I suddenly remembered the old tale my grandparents used to tell me.

"(Y/N), would you like to know a secret?"

"What is it, Grandfather?"

"Well you see, the (Y/L/N) manor is actually haunted by the souls of our ancestors."

"H-haunted?! You mean there are ghosts in here?"

"Indeed."

"It is believed that their souls have been watching the (Y/L/N) family members for decades, guiding and leading them to success and punishing and reminding them if needed."

"Your grandmother is right, but there is no need to be afraid as long as you behave well. You do not want to anger them, right?"

"Right."

"Now, please do behave before they discipline you themselves."

"Alright."

I believed the old tale when I was a little girl. Being the curious child I was, I even tried to summon them or make them appear before me. After numerous failed attempts, I decided to give up and forget that the tale even existed in the first place. 'May be it was just a silly old story my grandparents used to scare me,' I used to think.

I walked, and walked, and walked. I observed the old portraits of my late relatives, and it felt as if they had eyes. A chill ran down my spine, making the hair on my skin stand up. 'It's just an old tale, it's just an old tale,' I kept chanting in my head.

"(Y/N)," a voice suddenly said, pulling me out of my head.

"AHH! Grandmother, please don't eat me!" I screamed. "I-I have been a good girl. I always obey my parents, a-and I do not give them head aches like you told me to. I-I am now running the family business, a-and everything is going great! I can guarantee you that I-I am not fooling around." I said in fear, hoping that my late grandmother would not punish me or take me with her.

"Everything is alright, (Y/N). No one is going to eat you. It's just me, your mother."

"M-mother...?" I turned around and saw my mother standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Do you still believe the old stories about the manor? I thought they were just 'silly tales' just like you said before."

"Uhh... maybe? I thought someone was with me in my study earlier, but it turned out that I was alone. Also, I felt like the portraits had eyes peeing at me. I think I saw one of them move."

"Oh no, maybe Mother and Father did go too far. I knew it!" Mother said. "Do not fret, my dear. I assure you that there are no ghosts in this manor. I've lived here for five decades, but I haven't seen one yet, hopefully not," Mother said, whispering the last part.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, my child. Just go to sleep and get some rest. You must be very tired from doing all those paperworks that your sleepy eyes are now playing tricks on you. Come on. Off to be now, young lady." Mother ushered me to my room.

"Good night, (Y/N). I love you."

"Good night, Mother. I love you too."

After closing the door, I went straight to the bathroom to take a nice warm bath. Then, I dressed myself in the appropriate sleeping attire and headed off to dreamland.

~•~

I woke up in a fairly dark room with only a few lamps illuminating it. Strangely, there were huge cobwebs all over the place. There were no spiders crawling along the webs nor insects trapped in them.

I attempted to move my limbs, but it was of no use. It was then when I realised that I was stuck in one of them. The sticky spider silk clung to my clothes and onto my arms and legs, providing no means for escape. I was laying there, vulnerable and helpless.

A few moments later, I felt the web slightly move. I turned my head, attempting to find the source of the movements, hoping that it was not what I had in mind. However, to my disappointment, it was exactly what I thought it was — a big gigantic spider.

In truth, I did not fear these creepy crawly creatures. I admired them. However, this particular one made my veins run cold. His eight golden eyes peered at me like a predator watching its prey. Before I knew it, he charged at me and pierced my skin with his sharp chelicerae.

~•~

"AHHH!" I screamed as I woke up from the terrible nightmare with beads of sweat present of my forehead. I observed my surroundings, trying to see where I was at the moment. It appeared to me that I was no longer in that dark, scary room. Thank goodness I was back in my own quarters.

"Are you alright, milady?" Mary asked with a hint of concern.

"Yes... Just a bad dream... that's all," I said in between breaths.

"If you say so, Miss (Y/N). Breakfast is ready in the dining room. Would you like me to assist you in getting ready or do you wish to do it yourself?"

"Please do assist me for today."

"As you wish, Miss (Y/N). I shall prepare the bath. Excuse me for a moment."

Mary left and went to the bathroom, leaving me alone in my thoughts. 'It's just a nightmare, (Y/N). It's merely a bad dream,' I tried to convince myself. 'But if it were a dream, then why did it feel so real...?'

~•~

Chelicera
Plural - chelicerae

–  Either of a pair of appendages in front of the mouth in arachnids and some other arthropods, usually modified as pincer-like claws.

Notice: I will not be updating for a few days due to personal reasons. There will be no updates on June 24 and 25. The next update will probably be on the weekend or maybe next week. Thank you for your understanding. Have a good one! ❤

-Author